April 8, 2022
Dear Colleagues,
We are delighted to announce that the University is significantly improving how we manage business travel. A key upgrade will replace the use of Electronic Forms (ELF/TAR/TES) and the current Travel Card Management System (TCMS) with the industry standard business travel tool, SAP Concur for Travel Management (Concur). The program launches in April and will roll out in stages from April - December 2022. Each unit will be notified in advance of the date your area will transition from ELF/TAR/TES and TCMS to Concur.
Concur simplifies and expedites the reservation booking process for domestic and international university-related air, hotel, rental car and train reservations. It is comparable to web-based booking sites – it searches hundreds of travel sites to find information and make travel arrangements, and enables costs to be charged directly to a credit card (UMD Travel Card or personal card) associated with the traveler's profile. It also incorporates the University's Travel Card (Tcard) application and reconciliation processes. Notable improvements to travel management include:
- Implementing Concur, a paperless end-to-end solution for UMD business travelers, including travel pre-approval, electronic travel booking and receipt capture, Tcard application and reconciliation, expense management and reporting, integrated workflows (including approvals), and reduced costs;
- Updating to our UMD travel procedures for greater clarity and convenience for our travelers and with many integrated into Concur;
- Providing a best-in-class higher education travel management company, Collegiate Travel Planners, at lower cost than current travel agencies (Intercollegiate Athletics will continue to be supported by Anthony Travel);
- Replacing outdated technology for travel and expense management with a contemporary, streamlined solution when Concur is fully implemented;
- Strongly encouraging use of Tcards for employee business travel.
The Travel and Card Services team is grateful for the robust engagement of a diverse group of over 200 campus stakeholders and the Administrative Modernization Program. Their contributions have been instrumental to the success of the planning, design and review of these travel program improvements.
We wish to thank the pilot groups that will begin using Concur in the coming weeks: College of Behavioral & Social Sciences, followed by the College of Education and departments in the Division of University Relations and the A. James Clark School of Engineering. Additional departments will launch this summer, and the remaining campus organizations will launch through the fall. The current travel systems (ELF/TAR/TES & TCMS) will be discontinued prior to the launch of Workday in 2023.
As department go-live dates approach, detailed information will be provided including access to training materials, job aids, and updated Travel Services web pages.
This significant improvement to our administrative processes is a prime example of UMD moving Fearlessly Forward!
Please feel free to contact our Travel and Card Services Unit with any questions by sending an email to travel@umd.edu or calling 301.405.0607.
Jennifer King Rice
Senior Vice President and Provost
She/Her/Hers
Carlo Colella
Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer
He/Him/His
Kimberly C. Watson
Assistant Vice President for Procurement and Business Services
She/Her/Hers